Billy isn't one to back down from a bet. But this one is gross: If he eats fifteen worms in fifteen days, Alan will pay him fifty dollars. Billy takes the bet and tries worms smothered in ketchup, drowned in mustard, even breaded and fried. Worm by worm, Billy gets closer to victory. But Alan won't let him win that easily...

Conceived the night of Che Guevara's burial in 1967, Gabriel McKenzie is inextricably bound up in the history and politics of his native Chile. Twenty-four years on, and still a virgin, Gabriel returns from Manhattan exile to confront his legacy: a Don Juan father and a country preparing for the five-hundredth anniversary of America's "discovery." Into Gabriel's quest for manhood and identity enter one iceberg, a faithful if eccentric nanny, and a...

Monica is already nervous about riding in her first horse show, and when she finds out that Rory is betting on her performance it only increases the pressure she feels.

"When seventeen-year-old Bailey starts a new job at a hotel waterpark, she is less than thrilled to see an old acquaintance is one of her coworkers. Bailey met Charlie a year ago on the long flight to Omaha, where she moved after her parents' divorce. Charlie's cynicism didn't mix well with Bailey's carefully well-behaved temperament, and his endless commentary was the irritating cherry on top of an already emotionally fraught trip. Now, Bailey and...

Dashing Lord Harry Traemore is perfectly content to live out his days in the pursuit of pleasure. But when he's named by the Prince Regent as one of society's "Impossible Bachelors," Harry is drafted into a ribald romantic wager. The rules of engagement are scandalously simple: The bachelor whose mistress wins the title of "Most Delectable Companion" gets to remain unmarried. Harry is utterly unconcerned about his status...until his latest lightskirt...

"Reluctant socialite Coraline Baxter longs to live a life of significance and leave her mark on the world. When her local suffragette group asks her to climb Mount Rainier to raise awareness of their cause, she jumps at the chance, even though she has absolutely no climbing experience. If she can do it, any woman can do it. And after her mother issues an ultimatum--that Cora marry the man of her mother's choosing if she is not successful--Cora must...

Lady Betsy Wilde longs for one more adventure in breeches before settling down in society. Lord Jeremy Roden says he'll provide the pants if she wins a billiards game. After their wild night together, he realizes it wasn't enough.

After commoner John Turner wins her love while posing as his noble friend for a bet, humiliating her in the process, Countess Letitia is determined to avoid him, but has trouble resisting his advances when they become neighbors.

"For fans of My Brilliant Friend and Mexican Gothic, Julia Fine's Maddalena and the Dark is a novel set in 18th-century Venice at a prestigious music school, about two girls drawn together by a dangerous wager..."--

Louie's older brother bets his new skateboard that Louie can't go an entire week without eating any chocolate.